The present invention generally relates to treatment of wounds, and more specifically to an improved apparatus and method for treating a wound on a patient's body by applying reduced pressure to the body at the site of the wound. In this context, the terms “wound” and “body” are to be interpreted broadly, to include any wound that may be treated using reduced pressure.
The treatment of open or chronic wounds that are too large to spontaneously close or otherwise fail to heal by means of applying reduced pressure to the site of the wound is well known in the art. One such system is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/652,100, which was filed by one of the present inventors with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Aug. 28, 2003. The disclosure of this U.S. patent application is incorporated herein by reference. Another system is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/026,733, entitled “Improved Reduced Pressure Wound Treatment Appliance,” which was filed by one of the present inventors with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Dec. 30, 2004. The disclosure of this U.S. patent application is also incorporated herein by reference. Yet another system is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/064,813, entitled “Improved Flexible Reduced Pressure Wound Treatment Appliance,” which was filed by one of the present inventors with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Feb. 24, 2005. The disclosure of this U.S. patent application is also incorporated herein by reference. And finally, the present inventors have filed a U.S. patent application (U.S. application Ser. No. 11/075,020, entitled “Enclosure-Based Reduced Pressure Treatment System”) on Mar. 8, 2005, disclosing yet another system. The disclosure of this U.S. patent application is also incorporated herein by reference.
Reduced pressure wound treatment systems currently known in the art commonly involve placing a cover that is impermeable to liquids over the wound, using various means to seal the cover to the tissue of the patient surrounding the wound, and connecting a source of reduced pressure (such as a vacuum pump) to the cover in a manner so that an area of reduced pressure is created under the cover in the area of the wound. Of course, wounds that may be treated by using reduced pressure come in a variety of types, sizes and shapes. Thus, in order to treat a wide variety of wounds, it is necessary for health practitioners to have a number of different types and sizes of wound treatment covers on hand. This requirement, however, may cause undue expense in maintaining an inventory of such covers. In addition, this requirement may also cause shortages of storage space.
Therefore, there is a need for a single wound treatment device that can be used to treat a multitude of different types, sizes and shapes of wounds. This type of device, for example, would allow healthcare practitioners to maintain an inventory of fewer devices than they may have to maintain otherwise. This inventory reduction should also lower the cost of maintaining an inventory of wound treatment devices. In addition, an inventory of fewer devices should require less storage space. This reduction may also reduce facilities costs. There is also a need for a wound treatment device that is simple to modify, simple to apply to the patient's body, and simple to remove from the patient's body. In addition, there is a need for a reduced pressure treatment system that provides for efficient removal of any fluid aspirated from the wound. Finally, there is also a need for a reduced pressure treatment system that is relatively inexpensive, while meeting the needs described above.